Planning Reasonably Exhaustive Research

Does anyone besides me get overwhelmed when thinking about “reasonably exhaustive” research? What exactly is reasonably exhaustive? How much is enough? When do you stop?

I attended a great lecture at FGS, by Tom Jones, that addressed these issues. As the title says, the lecture focused on “Planning Reasonably Exhaustive Research,” so, of course, it was all about the research plan. I am currently not using research plans, but I do intend to start soon.

Here are some of my notes from this lecture:

Start with a focused research question. The key word here is focused. It should be about a person with a unique identity who is documented in a time and place. Example: “Who were the parents of Philip Pritchett who died in Montgomery County, Kentucky, in 1811-12?”

Assess your starting-point information. Is it correct, corroborated, documented, from the least-error-prone sources, interpreted correctly? Is the prior research complete? Are your assumptions defensible? If the answer to any of these is “no,” then the research question is premature.

Identify relevant sources. Figure out which sources are likely to contain the information you seek.

Reasonably exhaustive is a subset of Likely Relevant Sources.

One source is never enough.

When planning sources, check the FHL catalog for what kinds of sources are available (example: do a locality search). Available means accessible to researchers. It does not mean easy, convenient, or inexpensive.

No search is adequate without examining land and probate records. (I have a star by this in my notes – very important point.)

Indices and databases are finding aids that lead to sources.

Ultimate Plan Target

Two or more independent sources that are in agreement.

RES must contain all sources that competent genealogists would examine.

Tonia, thank you for this check list via Tom Jones. I’ve copied your URL so that I can refer to this regularly. It’s a goal that I probably can never meet, entirely — but that doesn’t mean I won’t aspire towards it. What I can immediately remember is “two or more independent sources,” because that sounds like the rule in movies about journalism and newspapers: a corroborating source. Wow! Genealogical standards are much more exacting than newspaper standards, though.Mariann Regan´s last blog post ..And the Walls Come Tumbling Down

Categories

About Tonia

Hi, I am Tonia Kendrick. Genealogy is my hobby, my passion (those who say obsession would not be accused of crazy-talk). While I had helped my mom with genealogy as a teenager, I first caught the bug myself when computers came into the picture.

Now we are well into the 21st-century and every day brings a new genealogy adventure, whether it is a new record group to explore online or a visit to a cemetery, courthouse, or other repository. It all comes together here. Read more about Tonia's Roots or contact Tonia. Read More…